Utah serial drunk driver accused of placing illegal tracking device under police officer's vehicle
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A man at the center an ongoing 2News Investigation for his many arrests and convictions for drunk driving is accused of placing an illegal tracking device under a police officer’s department-owned vehicle.
Our investigation found Doug Griffith, 60, Lehi, made conflicting statements to police that seemingly indicated he knew it was a cop car.
On June 8, Lehi Police Sergeant Cullen was at the Maverik in Lehi in his unmarked police SUV. Surveillance video from the convenience store captured Doug Griffith parked at one of the gas pumps in his black 2023 GMC Sierra pickup truck.
DOUG GRIFFITH CAUGHT ON STORE SURVEILLANCE CAMERA PLACING ILLEGAL TRACKING DEVICE UNDER COP CAR
The footage shows him go past four other vehicles parked at gas pumps, go directly to the side of the sergeant’s vehicle which was the fifth vehicle, turn around and walk back toward the back of the sergeant’s vehicle where he can no longer be seen for approximately 10 seconds. Griffith then walks quickly back to his truck, gets in, and drives off.
Someone at the Maverik witnessed this and waved down Sergeant Cullen and told him that he saw Griffith go behind his vehicle while he was at the gas station and place something on his vehicle.
Sgt. Cullen then searched his patrol vehicle and found an electronic tracker on it. Lehi police officers investigated the scene and watched store surveillance footage showing Griffith placing the tracking device on the patrol car, the affidavit of probable cause states.
LEHI POLICE SURROUND GRIFFITH'S HOME IN THE DARKNESS
Lehi Police knew exactly who they were dealing with after numerous encounters with Griffith and surrounded his home in Lehi and got him to answer the door and come outside to question him.
2News Investigates obtained the body camera footage showing multiple officers responded to his house in the darkness.
Sgt. Cullen quickly confronted Griffith and then Officer Horsley read him his Miranda Rights.
“We got eyewitness and video, we got your (expletive) truck too, so here's the deal." said Cullen.
He had an excuse and wanted to tell the investigating officers the story behind why he did it.
Our 2News Investigation also found the nature of where he obtained the tracking device and under what circumstances though he divulged that information to the police.
The tracking device was from his then girlfriend’s car, her ex-husband had it installed but gave her the car even though he legally owned it and was waiting for her to transfer it into her name.
Griffith claimed she was being stalked by her ex-husband and that’s what he told the officers.
“My girlfriend's been stalked by her ex and um, I thought it would be funny,” he said.
He admitted he knew it was a police car.
He said, “So, I'll put it on a police car and that's, that's it. It's that simple and it was a stupid practical joke on my, my part."
He added, “It was a dumb, dumb mistake for me to uh put that on a police car.” And said, "I thought you parked the thing at the police station and it just um, I didn't think in terms of that."
'LIKE YOU WERE PLOTTING ON ME, LIKE YOU WERE GONNA SHOOT ME OR AMBUSH ME'
His victim Sgt. Cullen let him have it.
“You understand how that can be pretty concerning like you were plotting on me like you were gonna shoot me or ambush me somewhere or follow me home to my house and hurt my family. You understand how that can be concerning to anybody?”
Griffith said, “I did not at the time. I do now. I did not sir.”
Sgt. Cullen told him, “You understand it's a Class A Misdemeanor, you're going to jail for Class A.”
GRIFFITH DECRIES THE POLICE PRESENCE AT HIS HOUSE
Then Griffith began counting out loud how many officers responded to his house implying that the response was far too serious. He counted nine officers. And that’s when several officers chewed him out.
“You put a tracker on a police officer's car, that's why we're here.”
One of the officers said, "You put his life in jeopardy."
Then he told them they could all get their digs in.
"Has everybody got their piece at me?" he said. And continued, “Wait, everybody come get your words in on me cause everybody wants to say something,”
While looking at his truck they noticed that he did not have an ignition interlock device installed, was seen on the video surveillance driving the truck at the Maverik and leaving the Maverik even though his driver’s license is revoked and he’s an alcohol restricted driver.
GRIFFITH ARRESTED FOR UNLAWFUL INSTALLATION OF A TRACKING DEVICE
He was arrested for unlawful installation of a tracking device, being an alcohol restricted driver, and failing to have an ignition interlock device in his truck. He was booked into the Utah County Jail with bail set at $1,950 cash.
He made a few calls from jail asking his then girlfriend to help bail him out.
“My two debit cards, I could give you the pin on those,” he is heard saying on the recorded calls 2News Investigates obtained for this report.
Within hours, Griffith bailed out of jail. A condition of bail was not to commit a new crime. But that would be short-lived.
EIGHT DAYS LATER-LEHI POLICE CATCH GRIFFITH DRIVING
On June 16th, Lehi Police catch him driving his truck north on 3600 West from 2100 North. We obtained body camera footage of his arrest. Officer Benjamin Clark did a records check before stopping him and found he had a revoked driver's license, was supposed to have an ignition interlock device and had an active warrant for his arrest in the tracking device case. Here is some of the exchange as Officer Clark and Officer Rudolph approached his truck.
Officer Clark: How's it going today?
Doug Griffith: What's up?
Officer Clark: Do you have your driver's license on you?
Doug Griffith: Why'd you pull me over?
Officer Clark: I'll explain once I get your driver's license from you.
Doug Griffith: You'll explain.What is this a setup?
Officer Clark: Give me your driver's license or I'm gonna have you step out of the car. Keep your hands out of your pockets for me just keep your hands up. Step out and then face away from me.
Doug Griffith: Yeah.
Officer Clark: All right, face your door.
He’s a familiar face to Lehi Police.
Doug Griffith: It's Officer Rudolph.
Officer Rudolph: How's it going Doug?
Doug Griffith: You got me today huh, big setup, big sting operation.
GRIFFITH CONTRADICTS HIMSELF
And this is where Griffith contradicts himself.
Remember he admitted he put the tracking device on a police car as a joke.
“I'll put it on a police car and that's, that's it.”
But that flies in the face of what he tells the officers now.
Doug Griffith: Like a dummy, I unknowingly put it on a car, and it happened to be an undercover cop and I didn't know it was a cop car.
Then he mocks Officer Clark and Officer Rudolph.
Doug Griffith: A big stakeout for Lehi Police.
BOOKED INTO THE UTAH COUNTY JAIL AGAIN, BAILS OUT
He was booked into the Utah County Jail for driving on a revoked license and failing to have an ignition interlock device along with the outstanding warrant. Bail was set at $2,840.
2News Investigates obtained about a dozen recorded calls Griffith placed from jail that show no one would be a co-signor for the bail bond company.
Bail Bondsman: Do you have money to pay for the bail amount?
Doug Griffith: I do.
Bail Bondsman: You do, on you?
Doug Griffith: I have it in the bank. It's Father's Day weekend you know.
Bail Bondsman: I do know that.
He asked the bail bond company to call his girlfriend and ask her to co-sign and this is what she told him about that call.
Bail Bondsman: She said that she can't co-sign.
On another call Griffith is told the following:
Bail Bondsman: You can be your own co-signer, but we would have to charge you the full $2,840 on top of the bond fees.
Doug Griffith: Uh, huh. Yeah.
Bail Bondsman: And then um we would have to run a card and we would have to send an agent to the jail.
Doug Griffith: OK. let's just do that then.
On a different call Griffith finds a bail bond company willing to co-sign for him but it's going to cost him.
Bail Bondsman: I just called the owner and he said he'll do it but you'll have to pay the full amount of the bail plus the fee. I don't know if you want to do that that's $3,155.
Doug Griffith: Yeah, I'll do it.
DEPUTY UTAH COUNTY ATTORNEY BEN KEARNS
Deputy Utah County Attorney Ben Kearns is prosecuting Griffith for DUI, a Third-Degree felony following his arrest on March 3rd by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper and also for the tracking device. Kearns agreed to an on-camera interview.
“It is consistent with his pattern of behavior of um showing little regard for the laws of the State and for law enforcement doing their job," Kearns said.
Asked what he thought about Griffith putting the tracking device on a police car, he said, "It does seem to be pretty brazen it does appear to be fairly blatant."
He says he must prove intent.
"As part of the element of a crime like that is, is intent showing that you knew that was a police car and you intended to put the tracking device on a police car."
Keep in mind, this is what Griffith told the arresting officers that night.
Doug Griffith: So, I'll put it on a police car and that's, that's it.
Additionally, Kearns says, "Part of my job is to prove that he had that intent and that motive. It is disturbing. I think there’s a reason, a good reason we have that specific law in place to protect law enforcement officers."
UTAH LAW REGARDING TRACKING DEVICES
That law is found in Utah Code 76-9-408 which makes it illegal to place a tracking device on a vehicle, but private investigators and law enforcement are exempt in certain circumstances. The code specifically says:
(2) Except as provided in Subsection (3), a person is guilty of unlawful installation of a tracking device if the person knowingly installs, or directs another to install, a tracking device on a motor vehicle owned or leased by another person, without the permission of the owner or lessee of the vehicle.
(3) A person is not guilty of unlawful installation of a tracking device if the person:
(a) (i) is a licensed private investigator installing the tracking device for a legitimate business purpose; and (ii) installs the tracking device on a motor vehicle that is not:
(A) owned or leased by an individual under the protection of a protective order; or (B) operated by an individual under the protection of a protective order who resides with, or is an immediate family member of, the owner or lessee of the motor vehicle; or (b) installs the tracking device pursuant to a court order.
(5) This section does not apply to a peace officer, acting in the peace officer's official capacity, who installs a tracking device on a motor vehicle in the course of a criminal investigation or pursuant to a court order.
KEARNS FILED MOTION TO REVOKE GRIFFITH'S BAIL
With knowledge of his recent arrests, some of which came from the 2News investigations, on June 22nd, Kearns filed a motion to revoke his bail in an attempt to hold him in custody at the Utah County Jail pending trial.
Kearns’ motion reads in part:
"Defendant Griffith has violated a material conditions of release while on bail in multiple cases. Defendant Griffith constitutes a substantial danger to the community if he is free on bail because he continues to blatantly flaunt the law and multiple court orders by continuing to illegally drive his vehicle over and over again.”
It goes on to say, “the Defendant also continues to consume alcohol in violation of the terms of his probation. Again, nothing has deterred the Defendant from continuing to drive illegally and violate the law: not suspending his driver’s license, not the threat of future criminal sanctions, and not requiring him to post increasing amounts of money to post bail. Detaining the Defendant in custody is the only way to prevent him from continuing his illegal and dangerous behavior.”
2NEWS INVESTIGATES OBTAINS VIDEO EVIDENCE OF GRIFFITH DRIVING IN UTAH COUNTY ON FRIDAY JULY 14TH
We obtained video of Griffith driving his truck on Friday July 14th even though his driver's license is revoked. Griffith then stops and parks and is seen walking across the street, his SCRAM device an ankle monitor that detects alcohol can be seen in the video.
We have reached out to Griffith for each report, but he has been unwilling to answer our questions. This time we asked him if he would be willing to speak with us about his recent arrests including the tracking device and if he has been driving on a revoked license. He responded in an email but did not answer any questions as to if he is driving. He referred us to his attorney Joshua Larsen. We emailed Larsen but he did not respond.
When asked if he is worried Griffith is going to kill somebody this is what Kearns had to say, "I would be lying if I said it, wasn’t a concern."
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